Sketch of Fire
by pugs2946
Summary: After David, Gadzooks, and the other Pennykettle dragons defeated the Ix, a time of peace came to rest upon the Pennykettle home. Lucy and Tam settled down and had a daughter, Alice, who created a new dragon; G'ilian. However, a mysterious new evil is threatening the Pennykettle's newfound peace. Can G'ilian and Alice stop a force even greater than the ancient dragons themselves?
1. A New Dragon

Alice sat at the table, holding a piece of clay. Clay splatters decorated the ceiling, floors, and walls. A slight _hrrr _emerged from the miniature dragon perched on Alice's shoulder and she showed it what she was making. Her bright orange hair was pulled into a haphazard ponytail and her emerald green eyes shone brilliantly as she focused intently on the clay in her hands. The small, deep green dragon on her shoulder gave a little puff of appreciative smoke as she examined what Alice was holding.

The clay was forming another dragon with similar features: flat feet, oval eyes, and large flared nostrils. It was perched on something that looked like a sketch pad and had a pencil resting just over it's ear. The facial expression of the dragon was distinctly feminine, while it's scales curled slightly. It's wings were half raised, as though they were cupping the wind, and had delicate bones that supported thin leathery-skin.

Another _hrrr _came from the dragon, one that sounded a little confused, and the girl turned.

"Really, Galea?" Alice asked, confused. It gave an affirmative nod. "Well, I guess she _does _look a little bit like Zookie. Should we tell mom?" The little dragon waved her tail, gesturing upstairs to where Alice's mother was. Galea waved her tail again, just to stress the importance of the motion, making Alice giggle softly. A stern glance from her dragon made her giggling come to an abrupt stop.

After a pause for consideration, the dragon _hrrr_ed impatiently and flapped her little wings. "Ok, ok, I'm going." Alice said, rolling her eyes. She gently lifted the clay dragon up and ran up the stairs. "Mom? Mom! MOM!" She yelled as she seemingly flew up them. "Mom! Galea wants me to show you the dragon I made-oh!"

"Calm down, honey," Lucy Pennykettle said, taking a step back as her daughter practically ran into her. "What is it?"

Galea tapped the clay dragon and Lucy gasped. "It's- it looks like Gadzooks!" she exclaimed, lifting the dragon from her daughter's outstretched hands. "Oh, Zookie..." A sad glisten appeared in Lucy's eyes at the thought of the writing dragon she had made for her old tenant but disappeared just as quickly as she examined the newly made dragon.

Nothing happened for a minute, and then a cat stalked down the stairs. "Can we kiln her? Please? Please? Please?" Alice pleaded, ignoring the cat. It morphed into a lynx, blinked, and then morphed into a black panther. Bonnington gave a hopeful mew, which received no answer. He fixed his huge, orange eyes on Alice and tried to sit on her lap. Alice deftly pushed him off and he resolved to simply watch her like an owl.

"Sure. Galea, why don't you tell Guinevere and Gawain that a dragon needs to be kilned?" Lucy asked, and Galea nodded. She fluttered up the stairs and out of sight. Moments later, a faint _hrrr _could be heard throughout the house.

Lucy smiled. "Come on, let's bring her to the Dragon's Den." Alex bounced happily, clapping her hands.

"Really? Oh, thank you!" Alice said enthusiastically, and Lucy smiled.

With those words, the mother and daughter went up the stairs. Alice ran ahead excitedly while Lucy took her time. Bonnington made sure to wrap himself around Alice's legs as she reached for the doorknob to the Dragon's Den.

"No, Bonnington, stay out," Alice chided just as her mother reached the door. Lucy opened the door and let Alice go inside before going in herself and closing it behind her, effectively keeping the cat out. "Hey guys," Alice said happily as it closed, addressing the dragons that had gathered just inside the door. A joyful _hrrr _resounded throughout the house as the kilning process of a new Pennykettle dragon began.


	2. Kilning

Guinevere sat perching on a table in the center of the room. Her eyes opened, slowly, and she flexed her paws. _Hrrr. _

It wasn't inquisitive in any way. It was merely a statement. Lucy bustled in after her daughter, closing the door to block Bonnington from entering. Alice was already in the Dragon's Den, stroking various dragons and murmuring to them in dragon tongue. Guinevere cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Lucy.

"Guinevere, this is the dragon Alice just finished. Doesn't she remind you of... someone?" Lucy asked as she presented the queen-like dragon with the drawing dragon. Guinevere's eyes narrowed in thought as she looked at it and a sudden _hrrr _of surprise emerged from her.

_"The writing dragon, Gadzooks!" _Guinevere said, flapping her wings in shock. _"She looks like the writing dragon! Oh, dear. It would seem that our adventures aren't quite over yet!" _Guinevere rolled onto her haunches and folded her wings. As she drew a deep breath, another dragon made his way into the center of the room.

Gawain. Every dragon (and human) held their breath as the other kilning dragon took his place beside Guinevere. He spread his spiked wings, raised his head, and examined the dragon-to-be-kilned. When he gave a nod of approval, everyone breathed out in relief. If the somewhat self-proclaimed king of the Pennykettle dragons didn't give his full approval of the newest special dragon, it meant bad luck.

Lucy placed the clay dragon on the kilning table and both regal dragons approached. Guinevere opened her jaws, and from the back of her throat, breathed a thin column of fire.

The fire ran over the clay figure, bathing it in an eerie light. Guinevere paused for a moment, as if she was checking the temperature of her flame, before resuming her previous stance.

As the fire wrapped around the dragon, Gawain joined in. His fire was a deeper red, closer to mahogany, and seemed to pulse. Their fires combined at a single point: the new dragon. Oranges and reds swirled around the clay shape, and it appeared to be basking in them. At first, the clay hardened. Then it began to change colors.

Greens seemed to flash through the fire and onto the dragon. A few stuck while others mixed together. Alice thought she saw a hint of purple go into the eyes, spikes, and claws, but it was gone in a flash.

Beneath the flames, the clay began to harden. Lucy watched with a childish anticipation while Alice sat stroking Galea. Galea, however, fluttered to join her fellow dragons around the dragon being kilned.

They watched the dragons all around humming into the flames. None of the other dragons dared to add their flame to the purer flame of Gawain and Guinevere. To do so would be to insult the other dragons on the quality of their fire and could result in some interesting action.

Alice watched silently as all the dragons, including Galea, hummed. The humming grew louder and the pace seemed to quicken. Both humans smiled as they knew what was happening.

Then, the humming got to a high-pitched squeak and abruptly stopped. As the humming stopped, so did the flames. Guinevere snorted in satisfaction and blew ash off her paws. Gawain shook his head, raised his wings, and fluttered to Lucy.

Both dragons were staring intently at the now-hardened dragon below them. Alice's heart was in her throat as she, too, watched. A tiny movement rippled through the new dragon, stretching from her nose to her tail. Then she stretched her delicate, emerald green wings, stood up, and opened her eyes. A _hrrr _rose from the assembled dragons, announcing the name of the dragon.

_G'ilian. _


	3. G'ilian

The little dragon arched her back, flapped her wings, and closed them again. She looked first at Lucy and then at Alice with a slightly confused, _hrrr? _Guinevere tucked her legs under her chest and lay down. She set to work explaining to the new dragon who they were.

_"The big one is the Lucy, and the smaller one is the Alice." _Guinevere explained, blinking. _"They are daughters of the dragon-princess Guinevere, for who I am named." _Guinevere proceeded to shake her scales proudly. _"The Alice says you are to be called G'ilian. It is a good name. A name to be proud of." _

G'ilian blinked, trying to understand. _"They are dragon-princess-daughters and I am G'ilian?" _she asked. Guinevere nodded, and nudged her gently.

_"They want to meet you. You are definitely a special dragon." _Guinevere said warmly, standing again. G'ilian turned towards the humans, picked up her sketch book, and carefully walked over.

_Hrrr? _she asked, and to her surprise, the Alice replied.

"G'ilian! You are quite beautiful! That was amazing! Mom's never let me watch the kilning. The way the fire went around you and all over you and gave you color was absolutely amazing!" Alice gushed, lifting G'ilian up. G'ilian looked into the Alice's eyes and tilted her head.

"_You are... the Alice?" _she hurred, and Alice nodded. _"I am G'ilian." _Alice nodded again. _"The paper..." _G'ilian said, looking at her sketch book. She took the pencil from behind her ear and held it above the paper, thinking.

Her pencil flashed across the page and Alice watched curiously. G'ilian looked at her paper, tapped the pencil against it firmly, and then moved the pencil. _Hrrr. _she hurred, satisfied. Alice glanced over the little dragon's shoulder and saw the picture.

"Wow..." Alice whispered in awe. G'ilian had drawn Alice's face, and had every tiny detail (down to the freckle.) G'ilian hurred proudly, holding the sketch up to the Alice. Both dragon and girl were staring wide-eyed at the drawing. Finally, Alice broke the silence. "G'ilian, you are the most talented dragon I have ever seen."

Immediately, a _hrrr _shot around the room. Alice lifted her eyes to look at the other dragons. She cleared her throat self-consciously and nervously added. "You guys, too. Everyone is talented, right?" Her answer seemed to satisfy them, and they settled down happily.

Lucy joined her daughter at the table. G'ilian was busy drifting up and down in the room, examining it. Alice watched as her dragon explored the shelf of eggs, then the shelf of normal dragons. Her wings flashed almost blue in the sunlight.

G'ilian's color was remarkable. It was a deep green with hints of blue at the edges of the scales. Her spikes were short and rounded, with a purple tint to them. The isosceles at the tip of her tail was pure turquoise, and her eyes were swirling pools of royal purple. What was the most interesting feature, though, was her feet.

Each foot was a different color. One front foot was deep, forest green, while the other was a shimmering blue. Her back feet were even darker, which was obvious despite the blending from foot to leg.

The only dragon Alice knew of who had a varied color was Gollygosh Golighty (Golly, for short.) He was David's healing dragon, and his scales were an icy blue. Alice believed that G'ilian had much prettier scales, even if they were green.

_"Alice?" _G'illian hurred in her ear, making Alice jump. _"Alice, could you make me some more pencils?" _G'illian flashed Alice a hopeful smile with big, watery eyes. Alice smiled.

"Of course. But why do you need more pencils?" Alice asked curiously.

_"To color. You see, I want to capture... everything. In order to do that, I need color. Pretty colors," _G'illian explained. She landed lightly on the table and showed Alice the sketches she had already made.

To Alice's surprise, the little dragon had drawn everything. Guinevere and Gawain arched their necks and breathed fire in one while Gruffen sat perched atop his book in another.

_"Oh yes, I might also need a few more sketch books." _G'illian said sweetly, and Alice groaned.


	4. A Sign

G'ilian turned out to be quite a curious little dragon. She stuck her nose everywhere and sketched everything. Alice had made her a new set of pencils, with a quiver similar to Gretel's to match. Gretel had complained, but G'ilian convinced her it was merely because of the superior design of such a brilliant dragon as Gretel. At those words, Gretel had allowed the quiver to be made.

Small drawings were posted throughout the house: a sketch of Alice or Lucy hanging on the fridge, a black panther (Bonnington) stalked down the hallway, and assorted dragons flitted throughout the house. G'ilian never left Alice's side for too long, and kept a close eye on her. Alice enjoyed the company of her dragon, even if it was often quiet as she sketched.

Eventually, G'ilian became known as 'the new Gadzooks.' Alice began to draw more and more, and her drawings began to become better. Soon, her sketches littered the house. No dragon complained, for it was they who were being displayed _everywhere _in the house.

Alice was transporting sketchbooks through the house, both hers and G'ilians. A few household dragons were helping with the lengthy process. Gruffen was helping G'ilian sort through her assortment of sketchbooks while Gwendolen was moving the images to a computer. All in all, the sketchbooks were being moved.

G'ilian finished with a triumphant _hrrr _and turned around. She reached for her pencils and counted them. The tips were finely sharpened, and each color was vibrant. Perfect. She twisted her quiver around and began to bring the next batch of sketchbooks to Gwendolen.

Gwendolen was busy scanning a picture and uploading it to the computer reserved for dragon-related files. She watched in satisfaction as a new batch were loaded into a file. She labelled the file, ;G'ilian Sketchbook 43' and dropped it in place. Rows of neat files looked back at her and she allowed herself to stretch her wings. Working with a drawing dragon was hard work!

A vibrant buzz rang through the house. It was more of a _hrrr, _due to the excited dragons, but it was there all the same. Every dragon was enjoying themselves. Even Gauge, the time keeping dragon, participated. He was directing the flow of sketchbooks to be taken to G'ilian and then Gwendolen.

None of the neighbors heard the commotion inside. If they did, they assumed it was just Lucy and Alice moving the next batch of Pennykettle dragons downstairs for shipping.

When every single sketchbook was put away properly and stored in neat files on the computer, all the dragons breathed a sigh of relief. Even Lucy had to sit down to rest for a moment. "You're definitely improving as an artist," Lucy said to her daughter after the ordeal. "As for G'ilian - well, that dragon can't seem to control the flow of pictures she turns out. Maybe you two could start to draw those for the store. I could put them on the website, and I'm sure Zanna would sell them in her store."

The thought of drawing seemed to excite G'ilian. She leaped into the air like a cat and unfurled her leafy green wings. The dragon drifted above both women and then disappeared upstairs. A moment late, she returned with a brand-new sketchbook in tow.

_"Oh dear," _Gretel hurred, rolling her eyes. _"Another one? I thought we just put all of them away!" _G'ilian smiled at Gretel, shrugging.

_"I can draw you," _she offered. Gretel considered it for a minute before grinning.

_"Very well than. I shall pose for you," _the potions dragon hurred, striking a ridiculous pose. Alice and Lucy snorted with laughter and Gretel stood normally. _"Actually, don't draw that. I didn't look my best." _Gretel hurred quickly, embarrassed.

_"Too late." _G'ilian hurred back smugly.

_"Why you little-" _Gretel playfully growled, leaping for the drawing dragon. G'ilian yelped and scrambled backwards. She dropped her sketchbook and took off flying with Gretel at her heels.

Lucy laughed as the two dragons chased each other through the house. Bonnington looked up from his bed, bored, and put his head back down.

Gretel caught up with G'ilian and tackled her. Both dragons were laughing with tears streaming out of their eyes. G'ilian batted at Gretel, who pretended to collapse beside her. G'ilian seized the opportunity and leaped back into the air. Then, both dragons were airborne again.

_"Bet you can't catch me!" _G'ilian teased, dropped down below Gretel. The potions dragon sniffed and slowed down, sticking her nose in the air.

_"Catch you? How old do you think I am? I worked with the most powerful sibyl in this whole world, and know secrets no one else knows. Why in the name of Godith would I want to catch you?" _Gretel sniffed in her most snobby _hrrr. _

G'ilian landed and folded her wings sadly. _"Do you really mean all of that? I mean, I thought we were just having fun. I guess I could erase the picture..."_

_"Of course I don't mean all of that!" _Gretel snorted, landing next to the drawing dragon. _"What dragon wouldn't want to play a simple game of chase?"_

_"Hey, guess what?" _G'ilian squeaked, standing up.

_"What?" _Gretel sighed.

_"Bet you can't catch me!" _she squealed, speeding to the ceiling. Gretel immediately gave chase, wanting to have some fun.

When both dragons were too tired to continue, they landed on the table. Lucy and Alice rubbed them affectionately and Gretel closed her eyes happily. _"So... where is the sketch of me?" _she asked G'ilian.

_"Oh, right here," _G'ilian said, tapping her sketchbook. She flipped it open to the first page, where the sketch had been before. A gasp escaped her throat and her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Alice asked, concerned. G'ilian kept her eyes on the paper but tapped it.

Gretel, Lucy, and Alice looked at the paper. G'ilian gulped, watching the dragon on the paper as though it was alive.

The dragon was... _"Gadzooks..."_


	5. Gadzooks?

Gadzooks, the writing dragon, was resting on the page. Even as a drawing it was blatantly obvious who it was. He seemed to blink, look at the gathered dragons, and then scribbled something down on his pad. Alice was too shocked to move, but Lucy squinted at the writing.

_Hrrr. _The writing was simple, and not even a word. Well, unless 'hrrr' is considered a word. Gadzooks gave them an impish grin and spun a little circle. He tapped his pencil thoughtfully against his pad and flipped to the next page.

_Hello. _Lucy went white. How could this be happening? Gadzooks, David's writing dragon, was in a sketch!

G'ilian and Alice were equally shocked. Gadzooks? Here?

The writing dragon rolled his eyes and blew a puff of smoke. Alice coughed as the smoke floated off the page, and G'ilian closed her eyes. Then, the writing dragon did something else that surprised everyone gathered.

One moment he was on the page, the next he was sitting on the page next to them.

_"Hello." _He hurred with a sly grin. Lucy blinked, gasped, and then proceeded to faint on the floor. Gretel immediately set to work making a potion to revive her. Gadzooks rolled his shoulders slightly. _"Well, that was nice."_

No one spoke or moved. _"Are you... Gadzooks?" _G'ilian finally asked, clutching her drawing pencil tightly. Gadzooks nodded and she looked ready to faint with Lucy.

"Well, this is a surprise. Let me guess: the dragons need a daughter of Guinevere to revive some dragon?" Alice scoffed, rolling her eyes.

_Hrrr-rr. _Gadzooks said, shrugging. _"G'Oreal said he needed a daughter for... something. Something important. Something about an egg hatching and needing a dragon princess to be present..." _Gadzooks attempted to explain. Alice nodded.

"Ok! When do we go? Will I need to pack warm or cold? Cold, I would assume. G'Oreal **is **a frost dragon, after all..." Alice hummed, accompanied by a chorus of hurrs from the dragons assembled.

_An egg?_ G'ilian wondered to herself. _Like the eggs in the Dragon's Den that the Lucy sells? _She was about to ask when Gadzooks fixed his violet gaze on her.

_"You are the drawing dragon?" _he hurred curiously.

_"Yes. I am G'ilian. You are Gadzooks, the writing dragon belonging to the David?" _G'ilian answered, adding a question. Gadzooks simply nodded. He rubbed his pencil thoughtfully.

_"You are coming with us to the hatching of the egg?" _Gadzooks asked excitedly, and it was G'ilian's turn to nod in response.

G'ilian hurred and grabbed her sketchbook. Before any dragon could react, she had drawn a picture of an egg. She tapped her pencil against it, showing it to Gadzooks. He considered it for a moment before nodding and saying, _"You have great power within you. The egg must have reached out to you."_

Though G'ilian was confused by his seemingly random comment, she fluttered into the air. She sped to the banister and landed at the base of the stairs. Bonnington trotted by, on his way down the stairs, and spotted Gadzooks.

Bonnington was used to bizarre events in the Pennykettle home. Every day, he saw the dragons move around doing tiny things. Sometimes it bugged him, sometimes it made him happier. But whether it was a dragon watering plants to keeping the time, he never thought he would see the little writing dragon Gadzooks again.

A joyful yowl erupted from the cat's throat and he tore down the stairs. Gadzooks jumped into the air, flustered. Bonnington missed by a whisker and landed on all four paws. He looked up at the little dragon hovering above his head and began trying to reach him.

With every try, he changed forms. First it was a lynx, and then it was a panther. Gadzooks just drifted higher. Bonnington changed into a tiger and accidentally tore a hole in the curtains, which set off an angry hurr throughout the dragons. At the word of the listener atop the fridge, the dragons clustered around the cat.

Gadzooks landed on the table lightly and walked slowly towards the cat. _Hrrrr? _he asked, tilting his head.

_MEOW-MREOW!_ Bonnington joyously exclaimed, leaping into the air again. Gadzooks took a step back, singing the large cat's whiskers. That immediately made the cat step back and down to all four paws. Gadzooks gave a smug hurr of satisfaction and settled onto his hind legs.

After a great clearing of throats from the writing dragon, he began to explain the egg and its origins. _"The egg," _he hurred, _"Is the first from the colony of dragons. It was laid by the great dragon G'winsa, and is to be a female egg. G'Oreal said the presence of a dragon-daughter-princess will help make the newly hatched dragonling strong throughout her life. He also says the egg is a symbol of the power of the great dragons, displaying their strength and beauty for all to see."_

At his concluding words, every Pennykettle dragon hurred in approval, for the real dragons were nothing to be messed with. They had claws and spikes for ripping and tearing, and great wings capable of sustained flight. Their flames were said to be the purest, and no creature stood in their way. Even the humans had learned to live among the giant beasts.

Few were true children of Gawain, though. Alice and Lucy were just two red-haired, fiery-tempered daughters of Gawain and Guinevere. They had hatched from eggs kindled by their 'mothers.' Alice had never met her grandmother or the sibyl, Gwilanna.

Sibyl's were said to be descendants of Gwendolen, Guinevere's daughter. They were capable of powerful magicks. Alice's neighbor Zanna was a sibyl, and she respected (and feared) her. All in all, Wayward Crescent was a rather... interesting neighborhood to live in. There was a certain aura of magic that radiated from it that even ordinary humans could sense, but many didn't go investigate.

Gadzooks rested on the counter, staring down at the cat. G'ilian landed next to him, hurring nervously. She tapped the picture of the egg, hoping Gadzooks would go on.

_"Ah, yes. Well, the Alice is needed by G'Oreal to help the egg hatch," _Gadzooks abbreviated.

Lucy, meanwhile, had begun to stir. Gretel hurred to her gently, soothing her. Gadzooks watched her curiously as he continued.

_"The egg must know that humans mean it no harm, and that the blood of dragons continues to run deeply in the veins of some humans." _Gadzooks concluded.

"So, I guess I'm packing cold for this trip to the dragon egg?" Alice said, wondering whether her duffel bag would be big enough.

"What egg?" Lucy asked drowsily, sitting up and leaning against the cabinets.

Both Gadzooks and Alice exchanged a look and both closed their eyes. "Well..."


End file.
